Spread the love

At a recent panel discussing health for menopausal women, I was asked an important question. Should menopausal women stop doing cardio exercise and focus strictly on strength training? That’s a complicated question that shouldn’t have an either/or answer.

Cardio or Strength for Menopausal Women?

Cardio WAS Queen

For years, cardio reigned queen in women’s fitness, from high-impact aerobics and step classes to hours on the treadmill or elliptical. Women gravitated toward cardiovascular exercise as their go-to for staying in shape. Meanwhile, women often stayed away from the weight room and were too intimidated to lift heavy. Fortunately, times have changed and the pendulum has shifted. Today, more women—especially those navigating menopause—recognize the critical importance of strength training for preserving muscle, bone density, metabolism, and optimal health.

Strength Training IS Essential

Muscle is now understood as longevity tissue. As estrogen levels drop during menopause, muscle mass and bone density naturally decline, making strength training an essential tool for aging young. Yet, in the enthusiasm for strength training, some influencers have gone too far, suggesting menopausal women should avoid cardio altogether. That’s a dangerous recommendation since cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death for both men and women, making cardio exercise non-negotiable for heart health.

Rather than choosing between cardio or strength for menopausal women, the smartest approach is to understand the importance of both and align them with your personal goals:

Goal: Body Composition Changes

Prioritize strength training 2–3x/week to build and maintain lean muscle, which increases resting metabolism and improves muscle tone. You can do full-body strength training each time you train, or split your program into lower-body and upper-body, for example. Strength training is the best approach to changing how your body looks. Cardio can complement this, but should not take precedence.

Goal: Heart Health

Incorporate cardio, blending steady-state workouts (like brisk walking, hiking, jogging, swimming, dance classes or biking) 1-2x/week with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts 1–2x/week.

For your HIIT workouts, try a 5-minute warm-up, then do 30 seconds of high effort followed by 90 seconds of low effort, repeated 5 times. Finish with a 5-minute cooldown. You can use activities like walking, running, rowing, biking, stepping or body weight calisthenic movements for these HIIT workouts. They tend to provide better adaptations in a shorter period compared to steady-state cardio, making them highly effective. But, don’t overdo it, 1-2x/week of these HIIT workouts is sufficient while minimizing overtraining and burnout.

It’s also important to understand that you can structure strength training workouts to also benefit the cardiovascular system by using full body, compound muscle-conditioning movements (ie Squat with an overhead press), supersetting your exercises to keep moving throughout the entire workout, and/or incorporating short 30 second cardio blasts in between strength sets. The heart doesn’t understand if you are doing a typical cardio workout or a muscle conditioning workout that provides a cardiovascular benefit. The heart only knows whether it has to beat faster or slower depending on the demand placed upon it, the amount of muscle tissue requiring oxygen, and how much it needs to perform the activity.

Some muscle conditioning workouts can also be considered cardiovascular exercise. You could plan your routine to alternate cardiovascular and muscle conditioning workouts, or perform cardiovascular workouts on your strength training days. Both cardio and strength can benefit your heart health.

Goal: Energy and Vitality

Any movement is always better than nothing. Figure out what you love to do and what you will be more likely to do it consistently. As soon as you start to move, your body gets energized. You should never think “I have no energy” or “I’m too tired to exercise.” Instead, when you feel lethargic and have no energy, you should say, “I need to move my body to feel energized.” When you’re tired, a short walk or workout can be exactly what you need.

Goal: Stress Relief or Mental Health

Prioritize outdoor activity and socialization – hikes, walks with friends, or group classes with your besties. These support mental health while keeping your body active.

Goal: Longevity and Functional Fitness:

Aim for a balanced routine of strength (2–3x/week), cardio (2–3x/week), and mobility/stretching (daily or post-workout). If you train 3x/week, combine all elements. If 6x/week, alternate strength and cardio workouts. You can also split your program. Try lower-body with a cardio segment(s) and the next day, upper-body with a cardio segment(s). There are many ways to structure a well-balanced program.

In the end, fitness during menopause isn’t about choosing cardio or strength—it’s about creating a sustainable, personalized plan that takes into account your goals, schedule, and preferences. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to exercise, for men or women. Include all primary fitness components (cardio, strength, and flexibility) for a balanced, comprehensive plan. This will help you achieve optimal health.

Yours in health & fitness,
Sherri McMillan

Shred the Silance on Menopause

Shred the Silence on Menopause

Tests for Longevity and Overall Health

Tests for Longevity and Overall Health